Folding container

ABSTRACT

A folding container which may be set up from a flat prepared blank and a carrier for housing a plurality of such containers also set up from flat prepared blanks, wherein the carrier has top tongue and bottom tongue portions connectable with corresponding individual containers along the inner surfaces of the tops and bottoms thereof, and the individual containers have side walls which are formed by folding surfaces back across one another, one side wall receiving a folded flap of the top thereof between its folded surfaces, while the top itself is formed by folding the outer surface of the other side wall thereover.

United States Patent [191 Rohner 1 FOLDING CONTAINER [75] Inventor: Benedikt Rohner, Zurich,

Switzerland [73] Assignee: Neher A.G., Switzerland [22] Filed: June 28, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 374,514

[58] Field 0fSearch..... 229/23 R, 29 R, 29 B,29 C, 229/29 D, 29 E, 51 DB; 312/261, 259; 206/491, 493, 504, 526, 527, 45.11

[ 56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,637,299 7/1927 Graham 229/27 2,020,176 11/1935 Fleisher 229/23 R X 2,104,828 1/1938 Brinnon 229/15 1 1 July 1,1975

Primary Examiner-George E. Lowrance Assistant Examiner-Stephen P. Garbe Attorney, Agent, or FirmOblon, Fisher, Spivak, McClelland & Maier [57] ABSTRACT A folding container which may be set up from a flat prepared blank and a carrier for housing a plurality of such containers also set up from flat prepared blanks, wherein the carrier has top tongue and bottom tongue portions connectable with corresponding individual containers along the inner surfaces of the tops and bottoms thereof, and the individual containers have side walls which are formed by folding surfaces back across one another, one side wall receiving a folded flap of the top thereof between its folded surfaces, while the top itself is formed by folding the outer surface of the other side wall thereover.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures FOLDING CONTAINER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to file containers and more particularly to a folding container which may be set up from a flat prepared blank and a carrier adapted to house a plurality of such containers which also may be set up from a flat prepared blank.

Folding containers, particularly such containers designed to hold files intended to be filed away and adapted to be set up from flat prepared blanks which are suitable for being stacked, for example in a filing room, and when set up permit the contents thereof to be accessible from one side, have already been suggested. These containers have loose, insertable intermediate walls by which the container can be subdivided.

Above all, the disadvantage of these prior art containers lay in the inadequate stability, stability being the prerequisite for them to be stacked on top of one another without the risk of damage to themselves or to their contents. Furthermore, the side walls, scarcely secure in their position, were only to a very modest degree capable of fulfilling their object, namely, that of sub-dividing the container into compartments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a container for files of the type designed to be set up from a flat prepared blank having improved stability whereby stacking one upon the other is possible without damaging either the containers or their contents.

The foregoing object and others are obtained according to the invention by a folding container characterized in that it consists of a carrier and a plurality of individual containers, each having two side walls, a rear wall, a bottom, a top wall, and also a front hinged cover, the carrier having a rear wall, and being connected through a folded edge along one of its long edges to a cover wall and along its other longitudinal edge to pivotable bottom tongues, and the cover wall being provided along its longitudinal edge which is remote from the rear wall with top tongues which serve to join the carrier to the individual containers, each bottom tongue being pushed over the bottom of an in dividual container, and each top tongue being folded over the top front edge of an individual container.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view of a number of closed containers in a carrier;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a not yet completely opened-up individual container;

FIG. 3 is a corresponding view of the carrier and of an individual container in a semi-erected position;

FIG. 4 is a section on the line IV-IV in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a section on the line V-V in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, which show a preferred form of an embodiment of the folding carrier with three individual containers, the number of individ ual containers being, however, open to variation at will, the folding container carrier 1, which preferably consists of corrugated cardboard, has a rear wall 2 and a cover wall 4 connected to it along a longitudinal edge via a fold line 3. On a longitudinal edge 5 which is directed away from the fold line 3, there are hinged on the rear wall 2 three bottom tongues 6, each of which is associated with one of a plurality of individual containers 7. Similarly, hinged on the top edge of the cover wall 4 are corresponding top tongues 8, each of which is provided at a certain distance from an articulation axis 9, on each lateral edge, with two incisions, each pair forming a securing flap 10 which can be bent upwards.

Of the individual containers 7, each has two side walls Ila and III), a rear wall 12, a bottom 13, a top wall 14, and a hinged cover 15. All these parts are erected from one flat preferred blank, the bottom 13 being connected through corresponding fold lines to the two side walls Ila and 11b and the hinged cover 15, while along the rear edge of each side wall Ila and I lb there is a flap 16, the flaps together forming the rear wall 12. The height of the flaps I6 is so selected that a push-through gap is left between the bottom 13 and the rear wall 12 which they form.

The side walls 11a and Ilb each consist of two side parts 17 which are folded over each other along the front edge 18 of the container. The top edge of one of the side parts 17 of the side wall 1112 is integrally con nected via the fold line 19 to the top wall 14, the free end of which has a downwardly folded-over flap 20 as shown best in FIG. 2. The hinged cover 15 has, parallel with its folding axis 21, two fold lines 22 and 23, and is folded inwardly about the first line 22 and again outwardly about the second line 23, its edge which is remote from the hinge axis 21 being formed with an out wardly projecting opening flap 24.

If the individual containers 7 are erected according to FIG. 2, the side walls lla and 11b are set up with folded side parts 17, the flap 20 being pushed between the side parts 17 of side wall Ila, and the flaps 16 for forming the rear wall 12 are folded through with respect to the side walls Ila and 1117, then these individ ual containers 7 are connected to the carrier 1 by the fact that each bottom tongue 6 thereof is pushed through on the underside of the flaps 16 until each bot-- tom tongue 6 rests on the bottom 13 of the correspond ing individual container 7 as shown in FIG. 3. Then, the cover wall 4 of the carrier is pivoted about the fold edge 3 until it rests on the top wall 14 of the individual containers 7, so that each top tongue 8 can then be folded around the front top edge 25 of each individual container 7 until it rests on the underside of the relevant top wall 14, the dimensions being so chosen that each top tongue 8 is held in this position by its retaining flaps 10. It is then sufficient to close the hinged cover 15 whereby, in the position of closure, the front edges of the retaining flaps it) serve as stops for the hinged covers 15. By the double folding of the hinged covers 15 and their appropriate dimensioning, it is possible further to ensure that they remain resiliently in the position of closure, whereby at the same time it is also possible to compensate for certain manufacturing tolerances.

A series of variations of the described folding container are now also conceivable. Thus, there exists the possibility, for example, of providing linear transverse weakenings 28 of the material in the cover wall 4 and the rear wall 2 of the carrier 1, in the prolongation of the slit-shaped gaps 26 between the bottom tongues 6, on the one hand, and the likewise slit-shaped gaps 27 between the top tongues 8, on the other hand. These transverse weakenings can preferably be formed as perforated lines. Starting from a closed container according to FIG. 1, the possibility is thereby created of subdividing the folding carrier and containers, for example, by bending off one or more individual containers 7 and the part of the carrier 1 associated therewith with respect to the individual container 7 shown in FIG. 3, the top tongue 8a, the cover wall section 4a, the rear wall section 20, and the bottom tongue 6a.

In this way, it is possible to separate containers from the folding container carrier, for instance, when the available storage space is of insufficient width or when the files stacked in a certain individual container are to be stored at another place. Furthermore, the flaps 16 can be provided at their lower edges with notch-noses 160 which, when the flaps are folded closed, enter into a notch 29 having undercut side edges and thus secure the flaps in their closed position.

Finally, the possibility also exists, for additionally securing the carrier 1 with respect to the individual containers 7, by providing the outer side part 17 of the side wall Ila with tabs 30 at its upper edge, and providing corresponding slits 31 in the cover wall 4, through which slits the tabs 30 pass as shown in H6. 1.

By virtue of the provision of individual containers which are grouped together by a carrier to form one unit, it is possible on the one hand to form comparatively small but stable compartments which are formed by the individual containers. In addition, the joining of the carrier and individual containers produces a very stable unit, the stability being further increased by the side walls 11a and llb of the individual containers being constructed as double walls which consist of the two side parts [7, this arrangement at the same time making it possible to push the fold of each top wall of an individual container in between the oppositely disposed side parts and in this way secure the top wall in its position. This stability makes it possible for such containers to be stacked on top of one another in any desired quantity without risk of damage to them or to their contents, with easy access to the comparatively small individual containers being very easily guaranteed.

Obviously, many modifications and variations are possible in light of these teachings. It is to be understood, therefore, that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically disclosed herein.

What is claimed is:

l. A folding storage file comprising:

a plurality of individual containers, each having in its closed position two side walls, a rear wall, a bottom integral with said side walls and spaced slightly from the lower edge of said rear wall to provide a gap therebetween along the rear edge of said bottom, a top wall, and a front hinged cover being integrally connected to the front edge of said bottom and pivotable about said front edge;

a carrier in its closed position having a rear wall being connected along one longitudinal edge via a fold line to a cover wall and being provided along another longitudinal edge with a plurality of pivotable bottom tongues, said cover wall of said carrier being provided along its longitudinal edge which is remote from its rear wall with a plurality of top tongues, such that the tongues serve to connect the carrier to the individual closed containers when the same are to be enclosed therewithin, with each bottom tongue being received through said gap between the rear wall and the bottom of a respective one of said containers to overlay the bottom of said respective one of said containers and each top tongue being disposed against the inside surface of the top wall of a respective one of said containers, being folded along the longitudinal edge of said carrier cover wall remote from its rear wall about the top front edge of said respective one of said containers.

2. A folding storage file according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the two side walls of each individual container is formed of two side parts which are integrally connected to each other by a vertical fold line at the front edge of said container and which are located in erected position one beside the other in parallel disposition in the closed condition of said container, whereby it is possible for a flap of the top wall pivotable about the upper edge of the other of the two side walls of the container to be received between said two side parts.

3. A folding storage file according to claim 2, characterized in that said other of the two side walls of each individual container is formed by two side parts which are integrally connected with each other by a vertical fold line and are located one beside the other in parallel disposition when said container is fully erected.

4. A folding storage file according to claim 2, characterized in that the top tongues have retaining flaps formed by slits in the lateral edges, said flaps being bent out of the plane of said top tongues and braced on the one hand against the side walls of a respective one of said containers and which serve on the other hand as a stop for said hinged cover of the said respective one of said containers when it is closed.

5. A folding storage file according to claim 1, characterized in that said hinged covers are folded twice in different directions about fold lines parallel to their hinge axis, first into the container and then out from the container, starting from the hinge axis, the remote edge portion of said hinge cover being folded out wardly serving as a pull flap.

6. A folding storage file according to claim 1, characterized in that said top tongues and said bottom tongues are respectively spaced apart in a longitudinal direction of the carrier to provide slit-shaped gaps therebetween and that said carrier has linear transverse weakenings of the material in its cover wall and its rear wall as continuations of said slit-shaped gaps between the bottom tongues and the top tongues.

7. A folding storage file according to claim 6, characterized in that the transverse weakenings of the material are formed as perforated lines. i l l k t 

1. A folding storage file comprising: a plurality of individual containers, each having in its closed position two side walls, a rear wall, a bottom integral with said side walls and spaced slightly from the lower edge of said rear wall to provide a gap therebetween along the rear edge of said bottom, a top wall, and a front hinged cover being integrally connected to the front edge of said bottom and pivotable about said front edge; a carrier in its closed position having a rear wall being connected along one longitudinal edge via a fold line to a cover wall and being provided along another longitudinal edge with a plurality of pivotable bottom tongues, said cover wall of said carrier being provided along its longitudinal edge which is remote from its rear wall with a plurality of top tongues, such that the tongues serve to connect the carrier to the iNdividual closed containers when the same are to be enclosed therewithin, with each bottom tongue being received through said gap between the rear wall and the bottom of a respective one of said containers to overlay the bottom of said respective one of said containers and each top tongue being disposed against the inside surface of the top wall of a respective one of said containers, being folded along the longitudinal edge of said carrier cover wall remote from its rear wall about the top front edge of said respective one of said containers.
 2. A folding storage file according to claim 1, characterized in that one of the two side walls of each individual container is formed of two side parts which are integrally connected to each other by a vertical fold line at the front edge of said container and which are located in erected position one beside the other in parallel disposition in the closed condition of said container, whereby it is possible for a flap of the top wall pivotable about the upper edge of the other of the two side walls of the container to be received between said two side parts.
 3. A folding storage file according to claim 2, characterized in that said other of the two side walls of each individual container is formed by two side parts which are integrally connected with each other by a vertical fold line and are located one beside the other in parallel disposition when said container is fully erected.
 4. A folding storage file according to claim 2, characterized in that the top tongues have retaining flaps formed by slits in the lateral edges, said flaps being bent out of the plane of said top tongues and braced on the one hand against the side walls of a respective one of said containers and which serve on the other hand as a stop for said hinged cover of the said respective one of said containers when it is closed.
 5. A folding storage file according to claim 1, characterized in that said hinged covers are folded twice in different directions about fold lines parallel to their hinge axis, first into the container and then out from the container, starting from the hinge axis, the remote edge portion of said hinge cover being folded outwardly serving as a pull flap.
 6. A folding storage file according to claim 1, characterized in that said top tongues and said bottom tongues are respectively spaced apart in a longitudinal direction of the carrier to provide slit-shaped gaps therebetween and that said carrier has linear transverse weakenings of the material in its cover wall and its rear wall as continuations of said slit-shaped gaps between the bottom tongues and the top tongues.
 7. A folding storage file according to claim 6, characterized in that the transverse weakenings of the material are formed as perforated lines. 